New WH spin on Taliban 5 swap: Hey, it was Hagel’s call

posted at 9:01 am on June 10, 2014 by Ed Morrissey

Old and busted: The Taliban 5 swap was a demonstration of authority by a Commander in Chief who isn’t afraid to act and make the final decision. New hotness: Hey, Chuck Hagel had the final call on the swap! As criticism mounts on Barack Obama over the decision to release five high-ranking and dangerous Taliban commanders in exchange for an American soldier, the White House shifted gears last night in its first briefing to the House — and attempted to shift blame as well:

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel – not President Obama – executed the administration’s final call to proceed with the prisoner exchange of five ranking Taliban detainees for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, administration officials told Congress today in a classified briefing today.

“They indicated [it was] Secretary Hagel [who made the final call],” House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon, R-California, told reporters following the briefing Monday evening. “It was the president of the United States that came out [in the Rose Garden] with the Bergdahls and took all the credit and now that there’s been a little pushback he’s moving away from it and it’s Secretary Hagel?”

Really? Hagel himself told Meet the Press that the decision process went the other direction — that Hagel recommended the deal, but that Obama had to make the final decision. Which one is lying, and why?

That’s not the only part of the story under construction at the moment, either. Recall that the White House insisted that it could not comply with the law requiring 30 days’ notification and consultation of Congress before any detainee release from Guantanamo Bay’s detention facility because of the sensitive nature and speed of the negotiations. Had the story leaked, the White House insisted, Bergdahl’s life would have been in danger, although the parameters of this deal had been discussed openly by both sides for years — including Bergdahl’s own parents, and the Taliban. So how many people did get informed of the deal? Oh … 80 or 90:

Several congressmen told THE WEEKLY STANDARD that they remain frustrated that “about 80 or 90″ people within the administration knew about the Bergdahl trade before it was announced on May 31, particularly considering none of the appropriate committee chairs or even House and Senate leadership were notified beforehand, save for Harry Reid.

“They couldn’t brief a single member of Congress because they didn’t trust us, yet the Qataris knew about it,” said Mike Pompeo, a Republican from Kansas. “It’s phenomenal.”

If anything, the briefing caused some lawmakers to become more upset after being told that 80 to 90 officials within the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and other agencies had knowledge of the deal while key members of Congress didn’t.

“I think it’s part of an erosion of the relationship between Congress and the Executive,” said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. “I support the swap, I mean the president made a very difficult decision, but I am concerned about the growing distance between the executive branch and Congress, and I think some consultation sooner would have been appropriate.”

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said the White House’s handling of Bergdahl’s release is “a pattern, and they need to learn that we actually matter under the Constitution.”

“It’s hard to trust this administration on anything they tell you,” Walden said.

Success has a thousand fathers, but failure is an orphan. Earlier today, a new CBS poll showed that the White House has created yet another failure in the Taliban 5 swap, and a new poll from Pew shows very similar data. The deal is largely unpopular, but more so among veterans:

Overall, 43% say it was the wrong thing for the Obama administration to exchange five Taliban prisoners for captive soldier Bergdahl, while fewer (34%) say it was the right thing to do; 23% do not offer an opinion. …

Overall, 33% of the public says someone in their household has served in the U.S. military or the military reserves at some point. Among this group, 55% say the exchange of five Taliban prisoners was the wrong thing to do, compared with just 26% who say it was the right thing to do. Non-veteran households are evenly divided (37% right thing, 38% wrong thing).

Furthermore, veteran households are somewhat more likely to say they are angry with Bergdahl (23%) than sympathetic toward him (12%), though most (57%) say they hold neither feeling toward him.

And when it comes to U.S. responsibility toward Bergdahl, 37% of veteran households say the country was not obligated to do all it could to secure his release because he walked away from his post; 47% say the U.S. has a responsibility to do all it can to return an American captive soldier, no matter what the circumstances. Non-veteran households are more likely to back U.S. efforts to free captive soldiers, regardless of the circumstances (60%-26%).

Respondents provided another overwhelming majority of support for following the law on Congressional notification, too:

President Obama has received criticism for failing to notify Congress 30 days in advance of the transfer of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl. When asked to think generally about situations like the Bergdahl exchange, most Americans (64%) say “the president should be required to inform Congress in advance of decisions like these”; just 30% say he “should have the flexibility to make decisions like these without informing Congress in advance.”

This view is nearly unanimous among Republicans (87%-11%), and 67% of independents also say the president should be required to inform Congress in advance of decisions like these. Democrats are more divided, with a narrow 53%-majority saying the president should have the flexibility to act without informing Congress in advance, while 44% say he should be required to notify Congress.

The more they talk and shift their stories, the more the Obama administration digs the hole even deeper.

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Really? Hagel himself told Meet the Press that the decision process went the other direction — that Hagel recommended the deal, but that Obama had to make the final decision. Which one is lying, and why?

Hagel made a career in the Seante of out-Mavericking Maverick, in being the Republican Senate Democrats loved the most on foreign policy, because he was the most likely to attack whatever position other Republicans were taking. So while this is just the latest example of the Obama travel bus squashing another subordinate, for Hagel to be the one after all the years he got favorable press trying to do the same thing to his own party has a lot of built-in karma.

Second point: I want the libs to tell us again what an awesome leader Obama is. He apparently gets no input on anything, except for single-handedly killing Bin Laden with his bare hands (the gutsiest call in the history of the Milky Way).

One thing you’ll never see with Godless liberals–it sufficient guilt an shame to cause them to fall on their own swords, especially when they get caught red-handed in shameful behavior,if there I still one other person to stick it in their back or throw under the bus.

This new story is a load of excrement. subZero himself took credit just the other day on TV.

He must be very desperate. He sure likes to blame others for his foul ups.

Really? Hagel himself told Meet the Press that the decision process went the other direction — that Hagel recommended the deal, but that Obama had to make the final decision. Which one is lying, and why?

That was the story all last weekend. I’ll wager their internal polling (not performed by CBS or the NYT ) show a very different picture.

Public does not have any say on the swap. that is a decision only made by the Commander-In-Chief.

Ned Pepper on June 10, 2014 at 8:32 AM

Unless it turns out to be an exploding box of dookie.

M240H on June 10, 2014 at 9:07 AM

This NSFW clip of Richard Belzer from 40 years ago is how Ned wishes Obama would talk to the non-cooperative public. Instead, his leadership skills and willingness to take the blame for bad decisions is on par with Col. Klink from “Hogan’s Heroes”.

“…I think I could probably do every job on the campaign better than the people I’ll hire to do it,” he said. “It’s hard to give up control when that’s all I’ve known.”…

“I think I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters,” Obama told him. “I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.”

…the White House insisted that it could not comply with the law requiring 30 days’ notification and consultation of Congress before any detainee release from Guantanamo Bay’s detention facility because of the sensitive nature and speed of the negotiations.

They first said was it was because of Bohammed Bergdahl’s allegedly poor health, then it was because the Taliban threatened to kill him if congress leaked the plan ahead of its execution.

Is this a third excuse from the administration or some kind of mashup shorthand for their excuses?

The sad thing is the ObamiNation is even more gullible than the Mystery Woman.

Steve Eggleston on June 10, 2014 at 9:12 AM

I don’t even have to click the link. I know exactly what scene you’re referring to. At least in that movie, Jake and Elwood were on a mission from God. I don’t know whose bidding Obama is doing, but it ain’t the Almighty’s.

Sgt. Hagle found face down on his own lawn after tripping over a garden hose commetted,, “Who me I’m always face down in some mess but if they say I did it ask my staff they make all the decisions for me”. Just ask Ms Clinton how it works for dumb Democrat leaders.

I don’t even have to click the link. I know exactly what scene you’re referring to. At least in that movie, Jake and Elwood were on a mission from God. I don’t know whose bidding Obama is doing, but it ain’t the Almighty’s.

Who hired Hagel? Who gave Hagel permission? And Ultimately who is responsible for the actions of those beneath him?

Hagel made an ass of himself. He should have told Obama to stuff it, the law says Congress is to be notified, not some sub-set hand-picked by the executive branch to act as proxy. He’s helped to undermine the entire federal system of government and all its checks and balances.

I don’t even have to click the link. I know exactly what scene you’re referring to. At least in that movie, Jake and Elwood were on a mission from God. I don’t know whose bidding Obama is doing, but it ain’t the Almighty’s.

I think the President is the one with broad powers as commander in chief under the constitution, not a cabinet member. This excuse only makes it worse, Hagel broke the law if that is the case. Obama needs to accept resposibility for this disaster or fire Hagel for breaking the law.

.
If Paul Harvey were still on the radio today, how would he cover what’s happening to this country? . . . : (

listens2glenn on June 10, 2014 at 9:46 AM

Unlike everyone who works for Salem Communications, I’m pretty sure Paul would call it straight up treason. Paul Harvey was no coward and knew what real morals, ethics and principals were. Nor was he timid or shy about speaking the truth because it might offend people or hurt his ratings.

I work in a building serviced by an elevator that includes an AP-driven video channel. Its breakdown of the poll cited by Ed stated that 56% of Americans feel we are obligated to obtain a prisoner’s release regardless of the events leading to his capture. No other questions were listed, no other data were mentioned. Incredible.

Unlike everyone who works for Salem Communications, I’m pretty sure Paul would call it straight up treason. Paul Harvey was no coward and knew what real morals, ethics and principals were. Nor was he timid or shy about speaking the truth because it might offend people or hurt his ratings.

Next excuse they will use from their playbook: Obama only found out about it by seeing it on news reports.

sh221b on June 10, 2014 at 9:38 AM

Obama only found out about his Sunday football-spiking Rose Garden appearance with TaliDad when he read about it in the news?

ConstantineXI on June 10, 2014 at 9:50 AM

Who will seriously question him? The low info slaves will likely argue that very premise from every venue they regularly mark with scent.
I’d say the countdown to gospel is: by Friday these were never the drones we were looking for period. BigAlSouth is right. Being the narcissist in chief means never having to say you’re sorry.

News Flash! – The White House today condemned that “Rose Garden Video of President Obama with Sgt Bergdahl’s parents. The video is a fake! The President declined further comment, pending an investigation of who made the video.

“While I was in on the negotiation for the prisoner exchange and I supported the very tough decision that was made, I was NOT the final decision on this matter. This was a heavy decision that requied the Commander in Chief to have the final say.

The great leaders in any walk of life gain respect when they deflect accolades that come their way down to those that helped achieve successes and take responsiblity when failures occur, and then quietly make changes within the organization to see to it that these failures do not continue. This administration has that concept completely backwards. And I will not allow my name to tarninshed by this Adminstration for their own political gain.

I have appreciated the opporunity to serve this great country and it is with deep regret I submit my resignation.”

Or he could just suck it up. Be tarnished by his superiors and remain a media hero and keep going to all the Washington parties.